The field of the invention pertains to electric lighting and, in particular, to small lights usually used to provide a dim low light in residential rooms such as bedrooms, bathrooms and hallways at night. Such lights are intended to provide sufficient light for a sleepy person to walk around the room without colliding with furniture or walk from room to room without striking walls or tripping and falling. The light, however, is normally shaded and of low wattage to minimize any disturbance to sleeping persons.
A wide variety of plug-in night lights have been available for many years for residential use. The devices are typically equipped with integral plugs to simply fit into standard wall sockets. While satisfactory for residential use, plug-in night lights are not satisfactory for commercial use such as in hotels, motels, cruise ships and other locations where sleeping space is temporarily rented to strangers for relatively short periods of time. The collision and tripping hazards are much greater with persons unfamiliar with their surroundings.
Further, in commercial settings plug-in night lights are subject to easy loss or theft and can be the source of a tripping hazard themselves. In view of the inadequacy of plug-in night lights, the applicant has developed the surface mounted night light disclosed below.
The new night light comprises a night light as a permanent part of a face plate assembly that fits on a standard electrical box for a double socket or light switch. The face plate has assembled to it a small light bulb socket for a low wattage bulb, an on-off switch and a standard three-prong socket in the preferred embodiments. The wiring for the components is all preassembled thereby permitting the new night light to be installed by connecting the ground and hot leads to the respective three wires extending into the standard electrical box. A suitable shade to diminish glare and direct the light extends from the face plate as does the on-off switch.